1. Field
Apparatuses and methods consistent with exemplary embodiments relate to a zoom lens barrel assembly, and more particularly, to a zoom lens barrel assembly capable of reducing a full storage length of a barrel while satisfying a stroke length of a zoom ring, reducing an operating load, and ensuring operating reliability during a zoom operation of the barrel.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a zoom lens barrel assembly employs a structure in which a cam projection of a zoom ring is deviated from a cam curve of a guide ring, and the zoom ring is stored to reduce a full storage length of a barrel.
In this case, as the cam projection is deviated from the cam curve, a marginal gap may form between the parts. To prevent the deviation of the cam projection, a predetermined guide structure is formed to protrude from an outer side of the guide ring to support the zoom ring, to simultaneously guide one surface of the cam projection of the zoom ring, and to store and fix the zoom ring. Thus, when the guide ring is rotated and an inclined plane of the projection meets with an inclined plane of the zoom ring during a zoom operation of the barrel, the zoom ring is pushed to enter into a main orbit of the cam curve formed in an outer circumference of the guide ring so that the zoom ring can operate.
The above-described barrel assembly in the related art has a structure in which the guide structure, which protrudes from the outer side of the guide ring, comes in contact with a supporting plane protruding from a bottom end of the zoom ring and an opposite plane. The guide structure is supported and fixed to the cam projection and a bottom groove portion formed in a bottom end of the guide ring. Since the two supporting portions (two supporting planes) are different from each other, jamming and loosening occur due to part assembly tolerance and machining deviation. Since one side surface of the cam projection and the guide ring have to be assembled together, a position of the cam projection is difficult to extend further downward. Therefore, it is difficult to expand the stroke length of the zoom ring, which limits the depth of a storage position of the zoom ring.
During a zoom operation of the barrel assembly, large load is instantaneously applied at a point where an inclined plane of the guide structure on the outer side of the guide ring meets with an inclined plane formed on the bottom end of the zoom ring, causing simultaneous jamming. In this case, since the two supporting portions are respectively formed in different members, it is difficult to machine the parts to modify the inclined plane of the zoom ring and still have an optimal operation position, and it is difficult to ensure operation reliability due to serious wear and tear of the parts of the inclined plane caused by repeated endurance work.